Chapter Two! Writing frenzy tonight so I already had the second chapter typed up by the time I posted the first, so yay! This is where it starts to get up to speed with things, and remember, this is a MAJOR AU! So a lot of things are going to be different. Still, I hope you enjoy!


Chapter Two

::

Bill Cipher.

A name which, when said to those who knew the inklings of truth, could cause overwhelming fear and terror. It was a name that, while it sounded foolish and childish to those not aware, could send the bravest and cruelest of creatures running. It was a demon name, and it was gifted to one who ruled the land of dreams with a merciless fist.

The Seeker of Truth, the Eye of Providence, the Seer of All, the Beholder, the Dreamwalker, the Light of Knowledge. Names earned through years of toil and leaps of power. Names for both a healer, and a destroyer. A being of grace, and a creature of damnation.

Bill Cipher was a demon, and he was waking up.

::

Gravity Falls.

A small town in Oregon that others joked was 'just west of weird'. It was sleepy in every sense of the word, and the only strange thing for others to see was the local sight of the Mystery Shack, a tourist trap if there ever was one. It was a town that, while small, spanned back through the generations, struggling to thrive and make a living off the land that sheltered them. Crime was low, people were friendly, and no one entered the woods.

Why would they ever enter a place where Death lurked, after all? It was never said, never spoke of, and never discussed...but they all knew. Death walked the woods of Gravity Falls, and with him, he brought his minions that stalked the night and day, terrorizing and claiming all who would enter. Morality made no difference to them.

Gravity Falls, a place where demons slept.

::

Stanford Pines.

The town of Gravity Falls would joke that he was the most corrupt and twisted individual to ever live in their town, although it was said with a kernel of truth. The man may not have been the most virtuous, but the town knew that he was of little trouble, never leaving or straying from his Mystery Shack, where he conned and fooled people daily. Except for his daily store runs, he was almost never seen in town.

As such, the townspeople would have been shocked to learn just what the man knew, and what he kept hidden. Not many entered the woods and walked back out, after all, and even fewer remembered what they had seen. The man who lived the closest to the woods was the first to be blamed when things went wrong, and many would never know how right they were.

Stanford Pines knew more than he let on.

::

Dipper and Mabel Pines.

Together since birth, the pair of twins were nigh inseparable, and highly antisocial. They were an average pair of twins, one bubbly, and one nervous, but there was something that kept others away, something that no one could quite name. Quirks that unnerved their schoolmates, words and motions that put even adults on edge, and a sharp gaze that felt far too knowing for two so young.

They were alone, as always, and it was just how they liked it. It made no difference if they were at home or shipped off to their Great Uncle's, like was planned. Their arrival was announced with little fanfare, the two easily settling into the attic they had been given free reign of, amused to notice that the workers of the Shack seemed the only ones not put off by their strange behavior.

Dipper and Mabel Pines might like Gravity Falls.

::

Bill Cipher was a demon who was highly possessive of what he saw as his.

Gravity Falls was a town that was filled to the brim with secrets best left hidden.

Stanford Pines would tell lie after lie in order to rebury the secrets he himself had found.

No one had told the Pines twins to stay out of the woods.

::

"Oh, Gravity Falls, it is good to be back!" Dipper and Mabel Pines, fourteen-years-old, scrambled back from the creature that was suddenly floating in front of them. The aged and worn leather book in Dipper's hands had dropped to the ground, pages open to show a sketched figure that looked like the one in front of them. "Thanks for the help, kids! Being stuck in the mindscape isn't as fun as one would think- Pretty boring, actually. Nothing to do, and even creating nightmares loses it's appeal after a while!"

Dipper was the first to react, pinching his arm and wincing at the immediate pain. He then looked to his sister, who looked less unnerved and more curious as to the being floating in front of them. "So...I'm guessing we're not dreaming then, right?"

"Nope! Which is ironic, considering I'm a dream demon!" The pyramid-shaped creature (demon?) floated closer to them, flying around them in a circle, one single eye crinkled in, what Dipper hoped to be, amusement. "So, Pine saplings-"

"Hold on, how do you know our name?" Because, really? Pine saplings? That could only come from knowing their last name. "Actually, no, better question, how are you real?!"

"You have the tendency to panic over things, don't ya?" Flicking the forehead, right on point to where Dipper's hidden birthmark was, the demon chuckled at the squeak it earned him. "Easy there, Pine Tree, I have no desire to hurt you, or Shooting Star-"

"Wait, wait," Mabel cut in, snapping out of her glaring at the demon for scaring her brother. "Am I Shooting Star?" At the nod, or at least she supposed it was a nod, she squealed. "That's so cute! Oo, you can't be all bad if we get such cute names, like Shooting Star and Pine Tree- Hey, what's your name?"

"How about, instead of asking the name of the terrifying dream demon, we run away screaming in terror?" Dipper suggested, edging behind his sister, who only looked more and more curious, and less scared, by the second. "Running away in terror sounds like a good idea, right about now."

"Nah, he's good. I can tell." Dipper sighed at his sister's absolute certainty, wishing she wouldn't trust so easily. "So, Mister Dream Demon, do you have a name- Oh yeah, I'm Mabel, and he's Dipper. We're here visiting our Grunkle Stan for the summer! We're fourteen years old, fifteen this fall, and we both skipped a grade."

"Gee, Mabel, anything else you want to tell the demon about us?" Dipper asked sarcastically, eyes now narrowed at his sister, who was only grinning. "How about our full names?"

"Okay! So, our names are really- Mmph!" Dipper sighed as he covered his sister's mouth, giving an apologetic smile to the demon, who looked to be amused.

"I'm sorry, we're pretty sure she was dropped on her head as a child- ...Somehow this conversation turned from horrific to normal, and I'm not sure if I should be worried about that or not..."

"I'd go with the 'or not', makes things a lot more fun! Anyways, just to finish introductions, I'm Bill! Bill Cipher!" Dipper raised an eyebrow at the name, deciding not to mention the childish sounding moniker, as he didn't fancy being fried to death by demonic hellfire. "Now, let's get you two up to speed! Thanks to you two finding this here journal-" A wave of a small hand, one that was coated in blue fire, lifted the leather journal, which was covered in the same blue fire. "-I'm free! See, it all started- Well, it's a long story. The short version, however, is that you managed to let me freely cross into this plane of reality again!"

"I can't tell if that's good, or not. Is that good?" Mabel asked, turning to her brother, who only shrugged.

"Depends on who you're asking, I guess," he mumbled, squeaking again as the journal fell into his arms, the teen scrambling to catch it. He noticed the blue fire had just barely brushed against him, leaving a lingering feeling of warmth and safety. "Uh, so, this book was keeping you in the- Um, the mind...scape?"

"In a way," Bill shrugged, floating around the two again, Dipper taking the time to study the journal more carefully. It was obviously something handwritten and handmade, the pages well worn and frayed, speaking volumes of days in the sun and hot, humid air. The leather was frayed, and peeling back in some places. The only thing that looked pristine was the gold-plated design on the front. A six-fingered hand that was carved with the number three, right where the palm was. "It wasn't the book itself, more like something that involved the book. It's...kind of complicated."

Trailing off, the demon hummed, snapping his fingers. The twins, both startled by the sudden weight on top of their heads, each reached up and pulled something off. "Uh...what are these?"

"Gifts for getting me out of that mess!" Bill happily explained, watching the two twins study what they had been given. Mabel was holding a bright pink headband, with a yellow star that trailed rainbows, something that was an obvious reference to her new nickname. The girl cheerfully put it back on, Bill's eye crinkling in joy.

"You like puns, don't you?" Dipper was holding what looked to be nothing more than a trucker cap, which was all blue except for the white front that held the decal of a blue pine tree. Seeing the gazes of both sister and demon, he sighed and slowly slipped the hat on, happy that the brim was wide enough to cover his eyes for when he was feeling anxious or worried.

"So, what are you going to do? Now that you're free?" Mabel asked curiously, watching the demon pause from where he had been leisurely flying around. "Wreak havoc across the land and steal the souls unsuspecting mortals?" At the gaze of both her brother and the demon, Mabel shrugged. "It's a valid question."

"And people think I'm the morbid one," Dipper snorted, absently flipping through the journal. "We didn't accidentally sell our souls when releasing you, did we?"

"Not that I know off!" Bill cheerfully chirped. "Although, now that you mention souls, and the like- No, no, I don't want yours, stop looking terrified. No, it's more of...a deal, that I want." Dipper and Mabel shared a look, both with skeptic gazes and frowns.

"Wow, a deal with a demon. That sure sounds like a good idea." Dipper had the distinct feeling that the demon was pouting at him, which made him unsure of how to react. On one hand, this was a demon...on the other hand, he was acting like an adorable creature of reckless amusement. "Just out of curiosity...what would this deal be?"

"Well, as you've probably already guessed, I'm not the only creature that's lurking around these woods! Gnomes, undead, manotaurs, hide-behinds, fae, pixies, unicorns, and every other supernatural creature you can think of! All of them are real, and a few good deal of them happen to live in these very woods!"

"That. Sounds. Awesome!" Mabel squealed, making the two wince at the high volume. "Really?! Unicorns?! Can we see some- Can I pet one?! Are they as pretty as the legends? Do they EAT HUMAN FLESH?!" At her brother's horrified look, she shrugged. "They did in all the old stories, I'm just wondering if they still do."

"Yes, yes, yes, no, no, and yes." Mabel opened her mouth, paused, and then pouted. Dipper had the feeling that, if the demon could, he would be grinning rather evilly. "Point is, I need someone to help me keep an eye on this town of mine, and what better people than the two who managed to wake me up, so to speak?"

"Wait," Dipper cut in, interrupting Mabel before she could say anything. "What's the price to helping you?"

"Pine Tree, really? A price? Why can't we all just be friends, and help each other out, for the sake of helping?" The tone was sweet and cooing, Dipper narrowing his eyes as he clutched the journal tightly.

"Because everything has a price."

"Not always." And was that a hint of...regret? Dipper brushed it off as the demon quickly bounced back to his chipper attitude. "The only price, as you put it, is putting up with me hovering around and helping you two all the time. Demons get lonely too, after all! So, what do you say?"

"You're telling us that we get to go on crazy magical adventures and have a demon bodyguard?!" Mabel was almost bouncing in glee, looking over to her brother for his opinion. Dipper, on his part, only glanced between his sister and the demon, before letting out a sigh. "That's a yes! Where do we sign?!"

"Heh, we don't use pen and paper, anymore, Shooting Star," Bill chuckled, hand lighting up in blue flames once again. "We just shake on it." For all the kind words Bill had said, Dipper couldn't help but feel like he was about to sign away his soul. "So, Pines twins, do we have a deal?"

"Well, bro bro?" Dipper groaned, taking his sister's hand and then shaking Bill's, hoping whatever negative consequences that happened would affect him instead of her. Considering this was a demon, he was surprised when the fire only gave that same feeling of safety and warmth, the teen swearing the demon was smiling at him.

"Alright, Bill Cipher...when do we start?"